Gaseous electric discharge device



v Aug. 28, 1934. H. FRIED-ERICHSEN 1,971,931

GASEOUS ELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed May 11 1933 NVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 28, 1934 UNITEDSTATES GASEOUS ELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICE Heinrich Friederichsen,

Berlin-Treptow, Germany, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May 11, 1933, Serial No. 670,550 In Germany June 3, 1932 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to gaseous electric discharge devices generally and more particularly the invention relates to such devices of the negative glow type.

The object of the present invention is to provide an electric discharge device of the negative glow type having three electrodes in which the starting voltage of the negative glow discharge between any pair of said electrodes is the same as that between any other pair of said electrodes. Still further objects and advantages attaching to the device and to its use and operation will be, apparent to those skilled in the art from the following particular description.

are bent in such manner that the upper portion of each plate is separated from the corresponding portion of the other plate a distance greater than that between the lower portions of said plates. A third plate electrode is mounted midway between the upper portions of said bent electrodes and the distance between the lower portions of said bent electrodes is the same as that between the third electrode and either of the upper portions of said bent electrodes. The starting voltage of the negative glow discharge between any pair of the three electrodes above described is the same as that of any other pair of said electrodes. The new and novel negative glow electric discharge device is simple in structure, the manufacturing cost thereof is reduced to a minimum and the device' "is used to advantage in many different types of circuits and is particularly useful as a relay.

In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational partly sectional view of one embodiment of the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing the new and novel ."gaseous electric discharge device comprises a tubular container 1 having stems 2 and 3 one at each end thereof. Said container 1 is filled with a gaseous atmosphere comprising a rare gas, such as neon, argon, helium, etc. or a mixture of rare "gas and metal vapor such as a mixture of argon and mercury vapor. Current inleads 4 and 5 for the electrodes 6 and 7 respectively are sealed into pinch-part 2' of the stem 2. The external end of said lead 4 is connected to the central contact 8 'of the screw base 9. The external end of said lead 5 is connected to the electrically conducting shell of said base 9. Said contact 8 is'electrically insulated from the other electrically conducting parts of said base 9. Said electrodes 6 and 7 are rectangular sheet metal plates made of such materials as iron, nickel or aluminium. Said electrodes 6 and 7 are mounted in parallel positions in the container 1 and are bent in such manner that the upper portions 6 and 7" thereof respectively are separated a distance twicethe distance between the lower portions thereof. A third sheet metal electrode 10 is mounted in said container 1 midway between the two parallel upper portions 6' and 7 and is parallel to said portions 6 and 7'. The length of said electrode 10 is equal approximately to the width of said electrodes 6 and 7. The current inlead 11 for said electrode 10 is sealed into the pinch part 3 of said stem 3 and the external end thereof is connected to the upper base 12 which is the contact thereof. The electrodes 6, 7 and 10 are coated with an electron emitting material such as a coating of alkali metal, earth alkali metal or combinations of these metals and particularly barium oxide when a low cathode drop is desired.

The starting voltage of the negative glow discharge between any two of said electrodes 6, 7 and 10 is the same as that between any other two of said electrodes as the distances between the electrode 10 and either of the upper por- 5 tions 6 and 7 of the electrodes 6 and 7 is the same as that between the lower portions of said electrodes 6 and 7. It will be understood of course'that when the device is operated on alternating current the electrodes connected into the circuit operate alternately as anode and cathode. When the device is operated on direct current I prefer to connect the electrode 10 as the anode and either of the electrodes. 6 or 7 as the cathode when a discharge is desired between 5 the electrodes 6 and 10 or between the electrodes 7 and 10. When a discharge is desired between the electrodes 6 and 7 on direct current either of said electrodes 6 or 7 is connected as the anode and the other as the cathode.

While I have shown and described and have pointed out in the annexed claim certain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its use and operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, for example, all of said electrodes 6, 7 and 10 are mounted on a single stem, and the lamp then'has only rectangular plates mounted in parallel positions in said container and bent with the upper portions thereof separated twice the distance between the lower portions thereof, another of said electrodes being mounted midway between said upper portions.

HEINRICH FRIEDERICHSEN. 

